Name: High Wind in California, May 22, 2020
Start: 2020-05-22T07:27
End: 2020-05-22T21:26
Location: California

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS HNX wrote it up.

A dry cold front pushed through the area during the morning of May 22. While daytime temperatures cooled by a few degrees from the day before, the main impact from this system was increased winds between the late morning hours and the evening. Several stations in the Kern County Mountains and Deserts measured gusts exceeding 45 mph while a few low impact indicator sites measured gusts above 55 mph.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Hanford, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 22, 1:20 AM PST, 6 hours 7 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 22, 1:20 AM PST, 6 hours 7 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Hanford CA
220 AM PDT Fri May 22 2020

.SYNOPSIS...A dry cold front will lower afternoon highs today
slightly, and gusty winds are forecast to occur in the Kern County
Deserts by this afternoon. A significant warming trend will take
place this weekend, leading to widespread triple digit heat across
the San Joaquin Valley and Kern County Deserts by Tuesday.

&&

.DISCUSSION...Upper low over the PAC NW is progged to drop
southeast into the Great Basin today which will push a dry cold
front through central CA. This will result in slightly cooler
daytime temepratures today as well as a period of increased winds
this afternoon and this evening. The strongest winds will be over
the Kern County Deserts where downslope effect will result in
some gusts exceeding 50 mph. A Wind Advisory remains in effect
for the Kern County Deserts for this afternoon and this evening.

High pressure is progged to amplify near 135W on Saturday which
will maintain a northerly flow over our area. Temepratures will
warm to near seasonal normals on Saturday, but the short term
models are now picking up on a shortwave dropping through our area
Satruday afternoon which might bring another brief period of
increased winds.

The ridge is progged to push inland on Sunday and Memorial day
which will result in sharp rises in heights and diurnal
thicknesses across our area. Temperatures will in turn rise to
above normal levels by Sunday and to much above normal by Memorial
Day with highs in the San Joaquin Valley expected to be in the
mid to upper 90s.

The medium range models are advertising the ridge to shift inland
by Tuesday and remain over the region through Thursday. This will
result in the first prolonged hot spell of the season with
widespread triple digit heat expected all three days in the San
Joaquin Valley and Kern County Deserts with near record highs
possible.

With hot temperatures expected during the middle portion of next
week, area rivers might appear to be a tempting place to cool off
from the heat. However, water temepratures on the rivers are very
cold with the latest observations indicating readings in the 40s
and 50s on many rivers. There have already been a few fatalities
in area rivers this spring from cold water drownings. Don't risk
your life and safety thinking that a river would be a good place
to cool off in hot weather.

&&

.AVIATION...Wind gusts up to 45 knots may occur over the
Kern County Deserts between 19z today and 06Z Saturday.
Otherwise, VFR conditions can be expected throughout the central
CA interior during the next 24 hours.

&&

.AIR QUALITY ISSUES...None.

&&

.CERTAINTY...

The level of certainty for days 1 and 2 is high.
The level of certainty for days 3 through 7 is medium.

Certainty levels include low...medium...and high. Please visit
www.weather.gov/hnx/certainty.html for additional information
an/or to provide feedback.

&&

.HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
Wind Advisory from noon today to 11 PM PDT this evening for
CAZ198-199.

&&

public...DS
aviation....DS

weather.gov/hanford

Event by event

2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Tehachapi Area

When: May 22, 7:27 AM PST
Where: Tehachapi Area forecast zone
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph) measured gust
Reported by: RAWS

The Bird Springs Pass RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 72 mph.

High Wind, Kern County Desert

When: May 22, 9:26 PM PST
Where: Kern County Desert forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph) measured gust
Reported by: RAWS

The Indian Wells Canyon RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 59 mph.

What these are

High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in California in 2020 Every state in 2020 This day in weather history Warnings in California, May 2020

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 882328, 882329.